Life Expectancy by Country, 2026

Q: Which country has the highest life expectancy?

Monaco, at 86.7 years at birth in 2026, followed by San Marino (86.0) and Japan (85.1).

Q: Which country has the lowest life expectancy?

Nigeria, at 55.0 years, followed by Chad (55.6).

Q: What is the world average life expectancy?

73.8 years at birth in 2026 — 71.2 for men and 76.4 for women.

Q: How has life expectancy changed since 1950?

The world average rose +27.4 years since 1950 (from 46.4), a +59% increase.

Q: How much longer do women live than men?

Women outlive men by 5.2 years worldwide in 2026. The gap is widest in Russia (11.6 years) and narrowest in Togo (0.6).

Q: Will life expectancy keep rising?

The UN projects the world average reaching 77.0 years in 2050 and 81.7 in 2100.

Q: How is life expectancy calculated?

From a period life table: life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn would live if that year's age-specific death rates held for its whole life. It is a snapshot measure, not a forecast for one person.

Q: What is life expectancy in the United States?

79.8 years at birth in 2026, ranked #44 of 194. The US series: 78.9 in 2014, 78.6 in 2017, 76.4 in 2021, 79.3 in 2023.

Q: Where does the data come from?

UN World Population Prospects 2024: estimates for 1950–2023 and medium-variant projections from 2024.

A baby born in 2026 can expect to live 73.8 years on today's death rates: 76.4 for girls, 71.2 for boys. Monaco is highest at 86.7, Nigeria lowest at 55.0.

Data: UN World Population Prospects 2024.

Life expectancy then and now

Birth year

1950–2026

Sex

Country

Life expectancy at birth

United States · #44 of 194

A baby born in the United States in 1990 had a life expectancy at birth of 75.4 years; for a baby born in 2026 it is 79.8.

at birth in 1990

75.4

years

at birth in 2026

79.8

years

Life expectancy at birth is a period measure: the average years a newborn would live if that year's age-specific death rates held for life. Both figures above are life expectancy at birth, for different years — not a forecast for one individual. World figure for comparison: 73.8 years in 2026.

Life expectancy at birth over time

United States

United States world 2026 born 2026

Solid line is the UN estimate (1950–2023); the dashed extension is the medium-variant projection to 2100. Markers show your birth year and 2026.

This URL updates as you change inputs — copy it to share your result. Fertility rate by country →

World life expectancy map, 2026

Color shows life expectancy at birth in 2026. Hover a country for details; click to open.

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024 · Boundaries: Natural Earth

Hover for details · Click to open · Scroll to zoom

Life expectancy:No data<60 yrs60–6565–7272–7878–8282+ yrs

Very small countries such as Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands don’t show at this map’s 1:110 million scale; the ranking table on this page lists them.

Monaco

86.7 yrs

men 84.8 · women 88.8

San Marino

86.0 yrs

men 84.5 · women 87.4

Japan

85.1 yrs

men 82.1 · women 88.2

World average

UN world estimate

73.8 yrs

men 71.2 · women 76.4

Top–bottom gap

Monaco vs Nigeria

31.7 yrs

86.7 vs 55.0

Female advantage

Women vs men, world

5.2 yrs

women live longer worldwide

Gain since 1950

World average

+27.4 yrs

from 46.4 in 1950

United States

Rank #44 of 194

79.8 yrs

43 countries rank higher

Countries with the highest life expectancy, 2026

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024

The top 10 span 2.6 years, from 84.1 (Spain) to 86.7 (Monaco).

Countries with the lowest life expectancy, 2026

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024

All ten of the lowest-life-expectancy countries are in Africa.

Life expectancy by region, 2026

Northern America

80.1

UN regional average, years

Highest: Canada (83.1)

Lowest: United States (79.8)

Europe

79.6

UN regional average, years

Highest: Monaco (86.7)

Lowest: Moldova (71.6)

Oceania

79.6

UN regional average, years

Highest: Australia (84.3)

Lowest: Nauru (62.6)

Latin America and the Caribbean

76.2

UN regional average, years

Highest: Chile (81.7)

Lowest: Haiti (65.5)

Asia

75.4

UN regional average, years

Highest: Japan (85.1)

Lowest: Afghanistan (66.8)

Africa

64.4

UN regional average, years

Highest: Tunisia (77.1)

Lowest: Nigeria (55.0)

Regional averages are the UN regional life-table figures, which include territories, so they differ from a simple mean of the countries shown.

Recent trends

Worldwide, life expectancy fell from 72.6 in 2019 to 70.9 in 2021 and recovered to 73.2 by 2023.
The United States: 78.9 in 2014, 78.6 in 2017, 76.4 in 2021, 79.3 in 2023.
Largest gains since 2000: Malawi +21.8, Rwanda +20.7, Zambia +20.3 years.
Women outlive men by 5.2 years worldwide; the gap is widest in Russia (11.6) and narrowest in Togo (0.6).

All 194 countries ranked by life expectancy

#	Country	Both sexes	Men	Women	Gap (F−M)	vs world
1	Monaco	86.7	84.8	88.8	+4.0	+12.9
2	San Marino	86.0	84.5	87.4	+2.9	+12.2
3	Japan	85.1	82.1	88.2	+6.1	+11.3
4	South Korea	84.6	81.6	87.5	+5.9	+10.8
5	Andorra	84.5	82.6	86.5	+3.9	+10.7
6	Switzerland	84.4	82.5	86.2	+3.7	+10.6
7	Australia	84.3	82.6	86.1	+3.5	+10.5
8	Italy	84.2	82.1	86.1	+4.0	+10.4
9	Singapore	84.1	81.7	86.6	+4.9	+10.3
10	Spain	84.1	81.4	86.7	+5.3	+10.3
11	Liechtenstein	84.1	82.4	85.6	+3.2	+10.3
12	Malta	83.8	81.9	85.6	+3.7	+10.0
13	Norway	83.8	82.3	85.2	+2.9	+10.0
14	Sweden	83.7	82.0	85.5	+3.5	+9.9
15	France	83.7	80.9	86.4	+5.5	+9.9
16	United Arab Emirates	83.4	82.6	84.6	+2.0	+9.6
17	Iceland	83.3	82.0	84.7	+2.7	+9.5
18	Canada	83.1	80.9	85.2	+4.3	+9.3
19	Ireland	82.9	81.0	84.9	+3.9	+9.1
20	Israel	82.9	80.8	84.9	+4.1	+9.1
21	Portugal	82.9	80.1	85.5	+5.4	+9.1
22	Qatar	82.8	82.1	83.7	+1.6	+9.0
23	Luxembourg	82.6	81.1	84.2	+3.1	+8.8
24	Netherlands	82.6	81.1	84.1	+3.0	+8.8
25	Belgium	82.6	80.5	84.7	+4.2	+8.8
26	New Zealand	82.5	80.9	84.1	+3.2	+8.7
27	Austria	82.5	80.2	84.7	+4.5	+8.7
28	Finland	82.4	79.8	85.0	+5.2	+8.6
29	Greece	82.4	79.9	84.7	+4.8	+8.6
30	Denmark	82.4	80.6	84.2	+3.6	+8.6
31	Cyprus	82.2	80.2	84.1	+3.9	+8.4
32	Slovenia	82.1	79.5	84.7	+5.2	+8.3
33	Germany	81.9	79.6	84.1	+4.5	+8.1
34	United Kingdom	81.8	79.9	83.6	+3.7	+8.0
35	Bahrain	81.7	81.2	82.4	+1.2	+7.9
36	Maldives	81.7	80.4	83.3	+2.9	+7.9
37	Chile	81.7	79.9	83.5	+3.6	+7.9
38	Costa Rica	81.4	78.8	83.9	+5.1	+7.6
39	Kuwait	81.0	79.8	82.3	+2.5	+7.2
40	Oman	80.7	79.2	82.4	+3.2	+6.9
41	Czech Republic	80.3	77.5	83.0	+5.5	+6.5
42	Panama	80.1	77.3	83.0	+5.7	+6.3
43	Albania	80.1	78.3	81.9	+3.6	+6.3
44	United States	79.8	77.4	82.2	+4.8	+6.0
45	Estonia	79.6	75.6	83.4	+7.8	+5.8
46	Saudi Arabia	79.4	77.8	81.7	+3.9	+5.6
47	Poland	79.2	75.5	82.7	+7.2	+5.4
48	Croatia	79.1	76.0	82.1	+6.1	+5.3
49	China	79.0	76.4	81.8	+5.4	+5.2
50	Slovakia	78.8	75.6	82.0	+6.4	+5.0
51	Cuba	78.6	76.3	81.0	+4.7	+4.8
52	Uruguay	78.6	74.8	82.3	+7.5	+4.8
53	Bosnia and Herzegovina	78.4	75.1	81.4	+6.3	+4.6
54	Turkey	78.4	75.5	81.3	+5.8	+4.6
55	Jordan	78.3	76.2	80.6	+4.4	+4.5
56	Peru	78.3	76.0	80.6	+4.6	+4.5
57	Colombia	78.3	75.6	80.9	+5.3	+4.5
58	Iran	78.2	76.4	80.2	+3.8	+4.4
59	Lebanon	78.2	76.2	80.1	+3.9	+4.4
60	Antigua and Barbuda	78.1	75.1	80.7	+5.6	+4.3
61	Sri Lanka	78.0	74.9	81.0	+6.1	+4.2
62	Ecuador	77.9	75.3	80.6	+5.3	+4.1
63	Argentina	77.8	75.3	80.3	+5.0	+4.0
64	North Macedonia	77.8	75.6	80.0	+4.4	+4.0
65	Montenegro	77.6	74.3	80.7	+6.4	+3.8
66	Hungary	77.5	74.3	80.6	+6.3	+3.7
67	Palestine	77.4	75.0	79.8	+4.8	+3.6
68	Serbia	77.3	74.1	80.5	+6.4	+3.5
69	Malaysia	77.2	74.8	79.8	+5.0	+3.4
70	Tunisia	77.1	74.6	79.7	+5.1	+3.3
71	Thailand	77.1	72.9	81.4	+8.5	+3.3
72	Algeria	76.9	75.5	78.3	+2.8	+3.1
73	Barbados	76.6	74.1	79.0	+4.9	+2.8
74	Latvia	76.6	72.1	80.9	+8.8	+2.8
75	Cabo Verde	76.6	73.4	79.7	+6.3	+2.8
76	Lithuania	76.5	71.8	81.1	+9.3	+2.7
77	Romania	76.4	72.9	79.9	+7.0	+2.6
78	Brazil	76.4	73.3	79.5	+6.2	+2.6
79	Armenia	76.2	72.0	79.9	+7.9	+2.4
80	Bulgaria	76.1	72.7	79.7	+7.0	+2.3
81	Morocco	75.9	73.7	78.1	+4.4	+2.1
82	Brunei	75.8	73.8	78.1	+4.3	+2.0
83	Grenada	75.7	72.8	78.8	+6.0	+1.9
84	Mexico	75.6	72.8	78.4	+5.6	+1.8
85	Bangladesh	75.5	73.8	77.2	+3.4	+1.7
86	Mauritius	75.4	72.5	78.6	+6.1	+1.6
87	Nicaragua	75.4	72.8	77.9	+5.1	+1.6
88	Libya	75.2	72.7	77.8	+5.1	+1.4
89	Vietnam	75.0	70.4	79.6	+9.2	+1.2
90	Ukraine	75.0	70.2	79.7	+9.5	+1.2
91	Bahamas	75.0	71.4	78.6	+7.2	+1.2
92	Georgia	75.0	70.1	79.5	+9.4	+1.2
93	Belarus	75.0	70.1	79.5	+9.4	+1.2
94	Azerbaijan	74.9	72.0	77.6	+5.6	+1.1
95	Kazakhstan	74.8	70.6	78.8	+8.2	+1.0
96	Paraguay	74.2	71.3	77.4	+6.1	+0.4
97	Dominican Republic	74.1	70.9	77.4	+6.5	+0.3
98	Belize	74.1	71.4	77.0	+5.6	+0.3
99	Suriname	74.0	70.9	77.3	+6.4	+0.2
100	North Korea	74.0	71.8	76.2	+4.4	+0.2
101	Trinidad and Tobago	73.9	70.8	77.1	+6.3	+0.1
102	Bhutan	73.8	72.1	75.8	+3.7	0.0
103	Russia	73.7	67.9	79.5	+11.6	−0.1
104	Syria	73.4	71.0	75.9	+4.9	−0.4
105	Tonga	73.4	69.8	76.8	+7.0	−0.4
106	Honduras	73.4	70.8	76.0	+5.2	−0.4
107	Seychelles	73.3	70.4	77.0	+6.6	−0.5
108	Saint Lucia	73.2	69.7	76.7	+7.0	−0.6
109	Guatemala	73.0	70.7	75.4	+4.7	−0.8
110	Venezuela	73.0	69.2	77.0	+7.8	−0.8
111	Uzbekistan	72.8	69.8	75.8	+6.0	−1.0
112	El Salvador	72.7	68.2	76.9	+8.7	−1.1
113	India	72.7	71.2	74.4	+3.2	−1.1
114	Iraq	72.6	70.7	74.4	+3.7	−1.2
115	Saint Kitts and Nevis	72.6	69.0	76.4	+7.4	−1.2
116	Mongolia	72.5	68.0	77.1	+9.1	−1.3
117	Tajikistan	72.2	69.9	74.5	+4.6	−1.6
118	Egypt	72.2	70.0	74.4	+4.4	−1.6
119	Kyrgyzstan	72.1	68.6	75.7	+7.1	−1.7
120	Samoa	72.1	70.2	74.1	+3.9	−1.7
121	Vanuatu	72.0	69.9	74.5	+4.6	−1.8
122	Jamaica	71.9	69.3	74.4	+5.1	−1.9
123	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	71.7	69.0	74.8	+5.8	−2.1
124	Dominica	71.6	68.6	75.1	+6.5	−2.2
125	Moldova	71.6	67.0	75.9	+8.9	−2.2
126	Indonesia	71.6	69.4	73.8	+4.4	−2.2
127	Nepal	71.2	69.6	72.7	+3.1	−2.6
128	Cambodia	71.1	68.4	73.7	+5.3	−2.7
129	Solomon Islands	71.0	69.6	72.5	+2.9	−2.8
130	Guyana	70.6	66.8	74.4	+7.6	−3.2
131	Turkmenistan	70.5	67.2	73.3	+6.1	−3.3
132	Sao Tome and Principe	70.3	66.7	74.3	+7.6	−3.5
133	Philippines	70.2	67.2	73.2	+6.0	−3.6
134	Yemen	69.7	67.6	71.9	+4.3	−4.1
135	Laos	69.7	67.5	72.0	+4.5	−4.1
136	Palau	69.6	67.4	72.2	+4.8	−4.2
137	Botswana	69.6	67.0	72.2	+5.2	−4.2
138	Eritrea	69.4	67.2	71.5	+4.3	−4.4
139	Senegal	69.4	67.4	71.5	+4.1	−4.4
140	Mauritania	69.2	67.1	71.2	+4.1	−4.6
141	Bolivia	69.1	66.6	71.7	+5.1	−4.7
142	Uganda	68.9	65.9	71.8	+5.9	−4.9
143	Gabon	68.9	66.4	71.6	+5.2	−4.9
144	Rwanda	68.5	66.1	70.6	+4.5	−5.3
145	Timor-Leste	68.3	66.7	70.1	+3.4	−5.5
146	Ethiopia	68.1	64.9	71.6	+6.7	−5.7
147	Pakistan	68.1	65.7	70.6	+4.9	−5.7
148	Malawi	67.9	64.6	71.1	+6.5	−5.9
149	Namibia	67.8	63.7	71.8	+8.1	−6.0
150	Fiji	67.8	65.7	69.9	+4.2	−6.0
151	Micronesia	67.7	63.9	71.6	+7.7	−6.1
152	Tanzania	67.6	64.8	70.4	+5.6	−6.2
153	Tuvalu	67.6	64.2	71.2	+7.0	−6.2
154	Myanmar	67.5	64.4	70.8	+6.4	−6.3
155	Comoros	67.5	65.4	69.7	+4.3	−6.3
156	Marshall Islands	67.3	65.2	69.8	+4.6	−6.5
157	Sudan	66.9	63.8	70.2	+6.4	−6.9
158	Zambia	66.9	64.4	69.3	+4.9	−6.9
159	Kiribati	66.9	64.9	68.6	+3.7	−6.9
160	Afghanistan	66.8	65.2	68.3	+3.1	−7.0
161	South Africa	66.7	63.1	70.2	+7.1	−7.1
162	Djibouti	66.6	64.1	69.2	+5.1	−7.2
163	Papua New Guinea	66.5	64.0	69.5	+5.5	−7.3
164	Gambia	66.5	64.7	68.2	+3.5	−7.3
165	Congo	66.4	64.7	68.2	+3.5	−7.4
166	Ghana	66.1	63.7	68.6	+4.9	−7.7
167	Haiti	65.5	62.2	68.8	+6.6	−8.3
168	Angola	65.2	62.6	67.7	+5.1	−8.6
169	Guinea-Bissau	64.6	62.1	66.9	+4.8	−9.2
170	Eswatini	64.5	61.6	67.4	+5.8	−9.3
171	Cameroon	64.5	62.3	66.8	+4.5	−9.3
172	Equatorial Guinea	64.3	62.6	66.3	+3.7	−9.5
173	Madagascar	64.3	62.5	66.1	+3.6	−9.5
174	Kenya	64.2	62.0	66.5	+4.5	−9.6
175	Mozambique	64.1	60.8	67.1	+6.3	−9.7
176	Burundi	64.1	62.0	66.2	+4.2	−9.7
177	Zimbabwe	63.6	61.0	65.9	+4.9	−10.2
178	Togo	63.3	63.0	63.6	+0.6	−10.5
179	Liberia	62.6	61.3	64.0	+2.7	−11.2
180	Nauru	62.6	60.7	64.6	+3.9	−11.2
181	Côte d'Ivoire	62.4	60.5	64.7	+4.2	−11.4
182	Democratic Republic of the Congo	62.4	60.2	64.6	+4.4	−11.4
183	Sierra Leone	62.3	60.6	64.1	+3.5	−11.5
184	Niger	61.9	60.9	62.9	+2.0	−11.9
185	Burkina Faso	61.6	59.4	63.8	+4.4	−12.2
186	Benin	61.3	59.8	62.8	+3.0	−12.5
187	Guinea	61.2	59.9	62.4	+2.5	−12.6
188	Mali	61.1	59.7	62.6	+2.9	−12.7
189	Somalia	59.3	56.8	61.9	+5.1	−14.5
190	Lesotho	58.6	55.8	61.3	+5.5	−15.2
191	Central African Republic	58.2	56.0	60.1	+4.1	−15.6
192	South Sudan	58.0	55.0	61.0	+6.0	−15.8
193	Chad	55.6	53.7	57.6	+3.9	−18.2
194	Nigeria	55.0	54.6	55.3	+0.7	−18.8

Life expectancy at birth, 2026. World average: 73.8 years. Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024. Vatican City is not included in these rankings.

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest life expectancy?

Monaco, at 86.7 years at birth in 2026, followed by San Marino (86.0) and Japan (85.1).

Which country has the lowest life expectancy?

Nigeria, at 55.0 years, followed by Chad (55.6).

What is the world average life expectancy?

73.8 years at birth in 2026 — 71.2 for men and 76.4 for women.

How has life expectancy changed since 1950?

The world average rose +27.4 years since 1950 (from 46.4), a +59% increase.

How much longer do women live than men?

Women outlive men by 5.2 years worldwide in 2026. The gap is widest in Russia (11.6 years) and narrowest in Togo (0.6).

Will life expectancy keep rising?

The UN projects the world average reaching 77.0 years in 2050 and 81.7 in 2100.

How is life expectancy calculated?

From a period life table: life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn would live if that year's age-specific death rates held for its whole life. It is a snapshot measure, not a forecast for one person.

What is life expectancy in the United States?

79.8 years at birth in 2026, ranked #44 of 194. The US series: 78.9 in 2014, 78.6 in 2017, 76.4 in 2021, 79.3 in 2023.

Where does the data come from?

UN World Population Prospects 2024: estimates for 1950–2023 and medium-variant projections from 2024.

Related demographic tools & calculators

Source

All figures are from UN World Population Prospects 2024 — annual life expectancy at birth (both sexes, male, female), estimates for 1950–2023 and medium-variant projections from 2024. Regional averages are the UN regional life-table figures.